CDNPolar

We don't use ATM's at home except in very unusual circumstances. We use credit cards for everything and if they vendor or restaurant does not accept credit cards, then we don't shop or eat there. It is not a distrust, but we also don't travel with our bank cards. We only travel with credit cards. Even if we wanted to we would not have a bank card to use in the ATM. Using our Credit Card in an ATM would constitute a cash advance where we have a charge to do so plus interest from the date of the transaction. No fear of tech here. Not only do I work with cutting edge tech daily in my job, our home is almost completely "smart" with everything voice controlled or controlled by our phones. Tech is not the issue. I just don't remember the last time I had $20 cash in my wallet. We don't work in cash. We have cash for tips but will leave the ship with 5-10 Euros in our pocket for that purpose and we buy the Euros at home from our bank before leaving. We travel to Europe so often it is not a concern if we return home with Euros.

I appreciate the difference between your way and our way of looking at this. I will also say that we are so rarely in our cabin and only there during the day to nap, shower, change, or sleep, so the DND sign would be on the door anytime we are in the cabin. We use WhatsApp around the ship to connect for Tea at 4pm if the mood strikes us or if we are in the lounge and offering to join up for a pre-dinner drink. I guess that the way we cruise, we do not spend time in the cabin where we would be open to visitors at the door. If we are in the cabin it would not be convenient to answer the door.

I would never let a server take my card from the table. In Canada, the server has brought the machine to the table for years and years. I was in the US late last year and the server started walking with my card and I stopped them and insisted that if they wanted payment I was coming with them. They did not seem to have a problem with that.

You have risk at anytime of the year for a river cruise to experience high or low water levels. I also will say that today, with weather patterns being more unpredictable, it is even more difficult to plan. In this past December/January we were on Amsterdam to Basel and just the week before us shipping was stopped completely around Cologne because water levels were too high and all shipping was stopped. A week or so later and we were lucky we sailed the entire trip. Sometimes you can be moved to another ship on the other side of a bridge, and sometimes you can be bussed and stay in hotels. If the river cannot be navigated then busses and hotels it is. Anyone that is doing a river cruise must be aware that this can happen and this will also be outlined in your cruise contract. This is beyond the control of the cruise line, and although I understand that people don't want this to happen and it can ruin your vacation, but it is a reality that you just have to roll the dice and see what you get.

I will answer about Viking River Cruises. You mention Chef's Table - that is not available on a Viking River Cruise, there is only one dining venue. (Well, there is the Aquavit as well, but same menu as the dining room.) Each day there is a new menu on Viking River that has a "locally inspired menu" including a starter, a main, and a dessert, and then the menu for that day which is also unique. There is always the left side of the menu that has the "always available" steak and chicken, and this does not change. Regarding smaller menu - grab and go - no, Viking does not have that. Whether you are eating in the dining room or the Aquavit terrace, you are sitting down and going through the full table service. You don't have to get three courses, but you are still going through full service. Each river cruise is different as to whether the ship sails at 4pm or 6pm or 11pm and some rivers don't sail overnight at all which means you are in port overnight. On Viking River at night and after dinner, there is only the lounge and whatever entertainment they have which could be just a piano player or the crew put something together. Sometimes they bring entertainment on if they are not sailing until late. How long is the bus ride to the excursion? Depends. We have done 20 minute bus rides and we have done 2 hour bus rides each way. Depends on where you are going. Some excursions are 3 hours total, and some are 8 hours plus. You are right about DIY tours. You cannot predict in advance water levels and if you will be 100% docking in the prescribed location. You should only engage with tour operators that are familiar with river cruising and willing to meet you at an alternative location. This is also where Uber comes in.

We don't invite friends or family to knock on our door. In actual fact, they may not even know our cabin number. If you want to be in touch, WhatsApp is the communication app of choice on the cruise ship and if there are more than 2 others with us, we will put a group chat in place. I would never want a knock on the door - do not disturb sign or not.

We were told many moons ago now that if we wanted specific products or ingredients on board that we should email tellus at least 60 days before sailing. This gives them time to get the request to the ship before sailing. If you are only asking the ship when you arrive, the stores could be full and not being restocked for days. At the time that we were told this we had a very restrictive diet, and it was the Viking reservation desk - a tenured person - that told us to email tellus.

Good advice from all. But... we would never use an ATM anywhere but home unless we were in dire need. We calculate what we need daily for tips on excursions and take a bit above that. We only take daily the tip money we need and the rest is in the safe on the ship. Basically, if a credit card is not accepted we don't buy or eat there. We bring nothing home with us. We don't bring gifts for family or friends and we don't collect or buy anything for ourselves, so we don't need cash for anything other than tips.

Absolutely right on. Many don't care about their seat assignment, or won't pay for it in advance so they are left to assignment at the airport on their arrival.

Always carryon and if they try to force the checking of the carryon, you would always remove them first. TSA and security around the world are well used to diabetic insulin and other injectables.

Sorry, forgive me regarding the remark being serious. Was not sure how to take it but regardless, I took it as support for those with mobility challenges. We see this everywhere. We just cannot travel to anywhere outside of North America and expect good accessibility. Just not something that exists yet in many countries.

Not to be prying, but what medications? I take 2 different injectables, and both are good at room temperature for up to 60 days. Do they absolutely have to be constantly refrigerated? So many do not today. Have you talked to your pharmacist? If you absolutely do need to keep cold, there are tubes that have ice packs that you can buy that will keep cold, but flights and hotels.... who knows how long. Also it has been commented on that many fridges are not refrigerators but "coolers" and cannot be relied upon for constant or specific temperature. There is also recommendations that many medications - like insulin - are not in and out of the fridge. Once it has come to room temp, leave it at that. All of this said, your medication may have different needs.

Not to rain on your parade, but we have abandoned the window / aisle concept expecting that maybe, just maybe, we will have the full row. We have watched flights and seats for many years and now more than ever flights rarely operate under full and it is like a lottery win if you get an empty seat beside you. We will watch the seat maps and even the day of the flight they show open seats - lots of them - and then we are amazed as the people keep coming and coming and coming until every seat is full. We have perhaps a unique strategy if we are flying economy. I especially do not like to be blocked in on an overnight flight, so will never book a window. I don't want one or two people between me and the aisle. I also cannot tolerate a middle seat. We book aisle seats one in front of the other. I will be 25C and my husband is 26C. We love this strategy! We also add to this strategy, because we are both right handed, that we only book aisle seats on the left side of the aircraft - so mostly the "C" seat. This is because during the meal, your right arm is on the aisle and not encumbered by whoever is sitting in the middle seat. We don't talk during a flight anyway... my husband sleeps for most of any flight and I watch movies.

What @GeezerCouple said, but why can't you walk back in and have the paperwork filled out? In Canada I would do that, but I would expect to pay a fee for the service. We had to cancel a trip this past December and the paperwork for the insurance cost us a total of about $200.00 after all was done, but we were refunded over $14K so it was worth it. We had two doctors that were very compliant and willing and one that refused to fill and sign paperwork, but gave us instead his report / diagnosis which the insurance company accepted. This whole process took a number of phone calls to doctor's offices and walking in with the hard copy to some and emailing to others. In Canada, any report written by the doctor or attending physician is your personal property if you want it and cannot be kept from you, and I would assume that this is the same in the USA. We also have in our area online portals where we can pull all our medical records and reports at any time. If however they need the attending physician's signature that is different. Glad you are better - or at least hope you are... Good luck.

One of the best ways to look at this in Google Maps. Look at the town or city you are going to and then look for its reference to the river. Often Google Maps will indicate where the ships are docking. Even if the city or town is a short distance away, often Viking have shuttle busses, or Uber is a great option in many places.

We did not do Transylvania, however... I cannot find the specific more detailed descriptions of the pre excursions you are doing, but with the Viking final paperwork - if you have paid in full - then you get the full excursion list and that will sometimes give you a bit more detail. With Viking however, "Demanding" is their highest level of excursion and we have seen that as being easily managed by two people that are relatively in shape, to quite demanding of our physical abilities. Demanding can be climbing literally 100's of steps, to hiking up steep hills, to uneven surfaces and cobblestones, to just longer times of walking and standing. If you don't have the Viking excursion list yet from your specific booking - this will list all excursions in detail - then email tellus@vikingcruises.com and ask for it, then ask their advice on what constitutes "demanding" for these particular excursions. Viking's demanding is described as: * Demanding - Physically challenging activities, including extensive walks, hiking, riding, water sports, and high altitude activities. Activities by foot may contain difficult, unpaved surfaces and/or multiple stairs and steep inclines. Total time walking or standing may exceed 3 hours.

I know - or at least suspect - that your response is sarcastic, but we have to accept that this is Europe or Asia, where they don't have accessibility standards that we expect in other regions of the world. I am not yet at the point of mobility issues - thank goodness - but I also get it through extensive travel. If you think Europe is bad, check out some off-the-beaten-path tourist attractions in China.

We have also found that on Viking Ocean, there is a "dietary manager" that is associated with the restaurants. Ask to speak to him/her/them and you will be set. We were walking through the World Cafe on embarkation day mid afternoon when the buffet was not open yet for dinner and a crew member approached us and greeted us by name. This was first hour on the ship. This was the dietary manager and we had some dietary needs and he already knew us from our passport pictures and his "list" of dietary needs passengers. We were quite amazed at this, and he was our best friend for the rest of the cruise. Everything that @Peregrina651 has told you above is what we have found. Viking River is a bit different, but also manageable. ...and just a note... I was instructed by the agents at tellus@vikingcruises.com that if I wanted any special ingredients or products on board that I should give at least 60 days notice. Also to understand that some products may not be available in the country or region where they are restocking. Viking cannot guarantee any product request.

This is because in Europe the flour has less gluten. North American flour has higher levels of protein or gluten in it. This is down to the type of wheat we grow in North America. Often you try a baked good made in Europe and bring home the recipe and it does not have the same result after baking, and that is because of the flour difference. If you want to reduce the gluten then buy "00" or double zero flour which is available in specialty stores if not in your local supermarket.

Next year's New Year's Resolution will be to try something new, like a new cruise line.

Absolutely. We have been with friends on a cruise and both did the same excursion but on a different bus and guide and our reviews of the excursion have been very different. Again - all subjective which makes the whole exercise difficult to have real value. Once discussion threads get too long - 25 plus responses - I tend to stop reading them unless the subject is really compelling to me. I feel like these would be pages and pages of responses very quickly and then who is going to read from page one to page 25?

A rating system would be great.

True - I have seen many have issue with the easiest of rated excursions. Cobblestones should always be mentioned.

You have looked at the two that are best known for "Adults ONLY" with NO KIDS. Many other cruise lines state that they mostly attract adults, but they all allow kids. Other lines that are mostly adults are that for a couple of reasons: 1) They tend to be more expensive and are more in the luxury area of cruising 2) They have a lack of kids programs and don't have waterslides, and the like to entertain kids In other words, there are not facilities for kids and therefore parents don't typically select these cruise lines. But, if you want no kids, then you are stuck with Viking and Virgin. The mostly adult lines you can consider are: (Don't know where they all sail) P&O Cruises Exolora Journeys Silversea Windstar Cruises Seabourn Regent Seven Seas Crystal Azamara Uniworld I am a Viking loyal and have now been on more than 10 Viking Ocean and River cruises and we have four future Viking cruises booked. I am very early 60's and my husband is younger. Viking does have an older crowd that is very loyal to them and you find different age groups depending on what the itinerary is, and how long the cruise is. Evening entertainment on Viking is not Broadway or big show style like on cruise ships of 3500 people plus. Viking evening entertainment is a 45 minute show from a foursome of singer / dancers that headline the show most nights. Sometimes there is a magician, or a different entertainer, but the shows are not BIG shows. There is the Torshavn Lounge that is the nightclub and it is small and the Viking Band plays there every night. We love Viking because: 1) There are no kids 2) There are no casinos, and art auctions 3) Viking is about the destination and culture of their itinerary 4) So much is included in the cabin price we don't have to think about what extras will cost 5) We love the understated elegance of the Nordic decor and ambiance of the ships 6) We love the food on Viking 7) Most of all, the crew and the service on the ships is outstanding Good luck with your search and hope this helps.

What I am going to suggest is based on your statement: "Been planning to book" This means to me that you have not as yet booked? A couple questions to consider: 1) Are you going to book your air directly yourself or through the cruise line? If you are booking yourself, make sure you are booking air that can be cancelled for a small fee or changed for a fee. We always look for cancel up to the departure time of the flight. This might cost you a few bucks more, but it would be worth it. We had to cancel $8K worth of air at for a trip booked in January, and it cost us $400.00 total to do so. That was direct with the airline. We have 3 round trips booked with Korean Air coming up and all three have cancellation up to departure at $200.00 per ticket. No insurance, no medical reason necessary, just cancel if we want to. 2) If you are booking air through the Cruise Line, then they must have some contingency in place because if their passengers cannot get to the cruise, what are they going to do? I would look into this. Regarding insurance, I agree with both CC members above @GeezerCouple and @klfrodo have said above. Good luck with this, but good on you for looking at this in advance and not booking blindly and then getting bitten in the backside later.